Directed, written and produced by Diarmuid Lavery and Michael Hewitt, sports documentary ‘Road’ has been acquired for distribution in the UK by indie distributor Kaleidoscope Entertainment. The deal was negotiated with British sales banner The Works International. It is hoped that the film will have a release in June.
Liam Neeson narrates the documentary about road racing and its unspoken heroes. The UK-Ireland co-production tells the story of two sets of motorcycle road-racing Dunlop brothers from Northern Ireland, two generations of one family united by loss and success. The film features motorcycle action, candid race-day scenes and a gripping narrative.
‘Road’ received its world premiere at the recent Belfast Film Festival, at which the film was shown as part of the Opening Gala. The documentary was screened to 900 people, including some of the Dunlop family members, across three screens simultaneously. William Dunlop, one of the racing brothers that the film is based on, stated “It’s an impacting hard story, but that’s what road racing is all about.
“There have been so many things done about them (the Dunlops), but this is the most powerful one.” After seeing the film, William Dunlop also said that he felt very proud, and that although the film did not shy away from the dangerous side of the sport, it also depicted the family tradition.
The film was produced by Belfast’s DoubleBand Films in association with Generator Entertainment. ‘Road’ received funding from Northern Ireland Screen and its sales banner is The Works International. The deal for its distribution in the UK was negotiated by Clare Crean at The Works and Spencer Pollard, CEO of Kaleidoscope Film Distribution